DOCSLIB.ORG

The Torah: a Women's Commentary

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

STUDY GUIDE The Torah: A Women’s Commentary Parashat Ki Teitzei DEUTERONOMY 21:10-25:19 Study Guide written by Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Dr. Lisa D. Grant, and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., editors Rabbi Hara E. Person, series editor Parashat Ki Teitzei Study Guide Themes Theme 1: Building a Just Society in the Promised Land—It’s All in the Family Theme 2: You Are With Whom You Mate—Regulating Sexual Relations in the Promised Land INTRODUCTION uilding the ideal Israelite society is an overriding concern of BDeuteronomy. The civil, criminal, and family laws in Deuteronomy address relationships within households, among neighbors, and between the vulnerable in society and those more fortunate. While the laws in Shof’tim, the preceding parashah, address public officials, the laws in this parashah focus on what could be seen as private family matters. The prominence of laws concerning the lesser-loved wife, the punishment of wayward children, and the regulation of sexual behavior indicate that such seemingly private matters concern society as a whole. Public legislation governing these matters demonstrates the Biblical author’s concern with building a balanced society in which all individuals are governed by the community and its laws. Laws concerning women are prominent in this parashah, including the proper treatment of captive women, forced sex, divorce, and accusations of non-virginity. This reflects the belief that because the family unit is the basis of society, a woman’s position and status in the family unit are critical. BEFORE GETTING STARTED Before turning to the biblical text and the questions presented below, use the introductory material in The Torah: A Women’s Commentary to provide an overview of the parashah as a whole. Draw attention to a few key quotations from the introduction to the Central Commentary on pages 1165–66 and/or survey the outline on page 1166. This will help you highlight some of the main themes in this parashah and give participants a context for the sections they will study within the larger portion. Also, remember that when the study guide asks you to read 1 biblical text, take the time to examine the associated comments in the Central Commentary. This will help you answer questions and gain a deeper understanding of the biblical text. THEME 1: BUILdiNG A JUST SOCIETY IN THE PROMisED LAND —IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY In ancient Israel the family unit, or household, formed the basis of society. The laws pertaining to families in Ki Teitzei reflect the view that what occurs within a family has an impact on the community at large. For this reason, a variety of matters such as the treatment of captive women who might become part of the community through marriage, the status of heirs of loved and unloved wives and of an incorrigible son, as well as rules concerning divorce and remarriage are all legitimate subjects for public legislation. 1. Read Deuteronomy 21:10–14, which outlines the laws for marrying a woman who is a prisoner of war. a. According to these verses, what actions should an Israelite warrior take if he wants to marry a female captive? How do these instructions differ from the prohibitions in Deuteronomy 7:1–4, which prohibit marriage to female captives? According to the Central Commentary, what can we learn from the differences between these two passages? b. Deuteronomy 21:11 describes the captive woman as “beautiful.” What is significant about this description? c. What is the purpose of the actions the captive woman must take (vv. 12–13)? What is the relationship between these actions and the month the woman must spend “lamenting her father and mother” (v. 13)? Why do you think these actions must take place before the Israelite soldier can marry the captive woman? How do you imagine a captive woman might feel in this situation? d. The Hebrew innah (“had your will of her”) in verse 14 can mean to debase a woman by having sex with her outside of a regularly contracted marriage. How does this phrase help you to understand why the man must free his foreign wife should he reject her? What is the reason for this command? 2. Read Deuteronomy 21:15–17, which describes laws regarding the heirs of loved and unloved wives. a. What family problems might arise from the fact that a man can have more than one wife and may have children with each wife? b. Who are these laws designed to protect and why? c. According to the Central Commentary, what is the significance of a child being designated his father’s heir in the Bible? 2 d. The words that describe the two wives in verse 15 (“one loved and the other unloved”) also describe the situation of Rachel and Leah in Genesis 29:30–31. How does this comparison help you to understand the situation in Deuteronomy 21:15–17? 3. Read Deuteronomy 21:18–21, which describes the rules for handling an incorrigible son. a. The Hebrew phrase soreir u’moreh in verse 18 (translated here as “wayward and defiant”) can also be translated as “stubborn and rebellious.” What does this suggest to you about the kind of behavior to which the text refers? b. What challenges does this kind of behavior present to the “householder” (v. 18)? What are the dangers of this kind of behavior to society? c. In your view, why are both the father and mother responsible for the son’s discipline? 4. Read Deuteronomy 24:1–5, which describes laws regarding divorce, remarriage, and prolonging a couple’s “honeymoon.” a. Verse 1 does not specify the valid conditions for divorce. The idiom in this verse, translated as “something obnoxious,” also appears in 23:15, where it is translated as “anything unseemly.” What can we learn about the conditions for divorce, based on how the idiom is used in these verses? b. The technical language for divorce (“sends her away”) in 24:1 contrasts with the language for marriage in the Bible (“takes her as a wife”). How do these two terms help you to understand what happens to a woman when her husband divorces her? c. What do we learn from verse 4 about the reason that the first husband may not take his former wife back if her second husband divorces her or if she becomes a widow? In your view, what kinds of concerns does this law seek to address? d. According to the Central Commentary on verse 1, what do we know about who was able to initiate divorce in Jewish marriages? e. What is the purpose of a householder’s year-long exemption from army service (v. 5)? How do you understand the purpose of this exemption? 5. Read the Another View section by Diana Lipton (p. 1185). a. According to Lipton, what is the real concern of Deuteronomy 24:1–4? b. Lipton points out that if the intent of the law in this passage is to prohibit remarriage to the same wife, then it was not necessary to include the clause about a new husband. According to Lipton, how might the new husband clause create a measure of autonomy for the woman? c. How does Jeremiah’s image of the metaphorical marriage between God and 3 Israel help us understand the possible reasons that the male authors of this text might have legislated female autonomy? How does this view allow Israel to maintain some degree of autonomy in the relationship with God? 6. Read Post-biblical Interpretations by Dvora E. Weisberg on pages 1185–86 (“If a householder has a wayward and defiant son” and “he writes her a bill of divorcement... and sends her away”). a. In what ways did the Rabbis restrict the law of the rebellious son? What is the impact of the restrictions on this law? In your view, why did the Rabbis take these actions? b. According to the Rabbis, on what grounds could a man divorce his wife? How do the Rabbis use Deuteronomy 24:1 as a basis for these grounds? c. According to Exodus 21:10–11, to what is a married woman entitled from her husband, and what is her recourse if she does not receive it? What do Jewish marriage contracts from the Second Temple period and the early medieval period in the Levant tell us about who could initiate divorce? d. What recourse is available to an unhappy wife, according to the Mishnah? How did the view that a woman could initiate a divorce change over time? 7. Read “The Passage of Divorce: Paving One’s Way” by Vicki Hollander, in Voices (p. 1189). a. To what does the poet compare the experience of divorce? How do the physical images she uses to describe divorce help you to understand her feelings? b. What is the relationship, in your view, between the images of the earth shifting and divorce? c. Hollander’s poem is written from the perspective of a woman going through a divorce. The biblical text (Deuteronomy 24:1) states that the householder who wants to divorce his wife “writes her a bill of divorcement, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.” How does Hollander’s poem help you imagine what such a wife might feel? d. If you have experienced divorce yourself or watched someone close to you go through a divorce, how do you relate to the poet’s description of her divorce? What metaphor would you use to depict the experience of divorce? THEME 2: YOU ARE WITH WHOM YOU MATE—REGULATING SEXUAL RELATIONS IN THE PROMisED LAND The laws regarding sexual relations in this parashah highlight the importance of women in the family unit and reflect a concern with the sexual status of women as wives or potential wives.
Recommended publications
  • Andy Russell's Dvar Torah Abraham Heschel Wrote That

    Andy Russell's Dvar Torah Abraham Heschel Wrote That

    Andy Russell’s Dvar Torah Abraham Heschel wrote that “To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments.” My journey to this day started with prayer. I was raised by Jewish parents who called themselves secular humanists. We observed shabbat and all the major holidays, but with our own secular blessings rather than traditional Jewish prayers. I went to Hebrew school and learned Jewish history, holidays, heritage, and language, but no prayers. I was encouraged to connect with my own spirituality through the lens of Judaism but was given no guidelines. After 5 years of Hebrew school, my brother and I had our b’nei mitzvah in Israel, on top of Masada. We each read a poem or passage in Hebrew and then our own translations into English. It was a beautiful and memorable ceremony but bore no resemblance to a traditional bar or bat mitzvah. There was no Torah; there were no traditional prayers. For years I felt strangely out of place in synagogue – surrounded by Jews celebrating familiar holidays and events, but with prayers and rituals that I knew nothing about. I realized that I grew up steeped in the spirit of kavanah - the more personal intentional dimension of prayer, but without keva – the fixed nature of prayer, to anchor me in tradition. The blessings I grew up speaking and hearing were beautiful, and full of personal meaning, but when I attended synagogue, which I did more and more frequently as I grew older, I realized I did not share a common language with other Jews.
  • Modern Slavery Curriculum Project

    Modern Slavery Curriculum Project

    Modern Slavery Curriculum Project Rabbi Debra Orenstein, Project Founder & Chair Rabbi Erin Hirsh, Project Manager & Editor March 1, 2015 – 10 Adar 5775 In memory of Rabbi Jehiel Orenstein USE GUIDELINES: These materials are freely available for non-commercial reproduction and use, with attribution, in schools, camps, homes, synagogues, civic group meetings and similar settings. For other uses, please contact the project founder or managing editor. Contact information is below. STAY IN TOUCH: To receive updates from the project team, please email: Rabbi Debra Orenstein [email protected] or Rabbi Erin Hirsh [email protected]. To receive updates from the group Free the Slaves, email [email protected]. PROVIDE FEEDBACK: Please take a short online survey about how you utilized these materials and how useful they were for you. Your feedback will help the team strengthen the curriculum over time. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2NVY2BN 2 Table of Contents Description of Project Page 3 - 4 A Note about Numbers Page 5 Lessons Listed by Age Group Lessons for Children Page 6 Lessons for Teenagers Page 7 Lessons for College Students and Adults Page 8 Index of Jewish Texts Page 9 - 16 Curriculum Writer Biographies Page 17 - 21 LESSONS FOR CHILDREN Page 22 LESSONS FOR TEENAGERS Page 58 LESSONS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS & ADULTS Page 139 Modern Slavery Curriculum Project - Visit: https://www.freetheslaves.net/judaism 3 Description of the Modern Slavery Curriculum Project Why is this night not different from all other nights? Because there are still slaves. Even as we sit around our seder tables, singing Avadim Hayinu (Once We Were Slaves), tens of millions of slaves are still working and suffering all around the world.
  • KI TEITZEI Our Torah

    KI TEITZEI Our Torah

    Torah following Ki Tavo. This is the end of KI TEITZEI our Torah. And this section deals not with KI TAVO the present, meaning the successful settling of the Land. It gazes into the future; the dis- tant future, the future that follows a long ALIYA-BY-ALIYA and successful sojourn in the Land. SEDRA SUMMARY 1st aliya (Devarim 26:1-11) When settled in the Land, bring your Rabbi Reuven first fruits as an offering. When Tradburks offered declare the following: My forefa- Director of thers descended to Egypt, were enslaved, RCA Israel Region called out and You redeemed them with a Our Parsha begins the conclusion of our strong arm, bringing them to this Land of Torah. The book of Devarim consists of milk and honey. And I am acknowledging Moshe’s long speech at the end of his life. that I have benefitted from all that, rejoic- His speech is crafted beautifully, a mag- ing in all the good I have been given. num opus of past, present and future. He This mitzvah of bikkurim, of first fruits, is began with a review of our history, includ- a rich one. But besides its own beauty, lies ing successes and failures and their lessons its significance in the narrative of Devarim. in the impending settling of the land. He In bikkurim, the successful farmer gives a then outlined what a Jewish society shall full throated expression of how fortunate look like; 170 mitzvot including ethical he is to be where he is. He stands on the monotheism in all its color, nation build- shoulders of our history.
  • Ki Tavo 5773

    Ki Tavo 5773

    Ki Tavo Ki Tavo, 18 Elul 5773 “Your Nation Are All Righteous” Harav Yosef Carmel In this week’s haftara , we find a famous and optimistic appraisal of our nation, which deserves a look as to what brings us such praise and what needs to be done to maintain it. “Your nation are all righteous; forever they will inherit the land” (Yeshaya 60:21). We will also look at it in connection with the once again, unfortunately, relevant issue of Anti-Semitic opposition to brit mila . This phenomenon reminds us of another famous pasuk – this one, from the end of Parashat Ki Teitzei : “Remember what Amalek did to you … he attacked from behind the necheshalim (stragglers)” (Devarim 25:17-18). There are two approaches in Chazal (Medrash Tannaim) as to who these stragglers were: those who strayed from the path of Hashem and were not under the protection of the divine cloud; those who had reservations about Hashem’s providence. The Tanchuma (Ki Teitzei 14) is more specific about the latter group and what befell them: Amalek would cut off the foreskins or Israel and throw them up to the sky, while saying: “Here is what you chose.” There are two important lessons to learn from these statements of Chazal : 1) The commandment to fight Amalek stems from the attack they made against Jews who were spiritually weak. 2) Whoever is not included in the mitzva of mila separates himself from the “divine cloud” – the protection of the Divine Presence. Thank G-d, the great majority of the Jewish community circumcises its baby boys.
  • Shabbat Table Sparks Ki Teitzei 5779

    Shabbat Table Sparks Ki Teitzei 5779

    Want to Learn More? Visit www.mySarShalom.com י Or www.myLapid.com שבת שולחן ניצוצות ש מ ח Shabbat Table Sparks א ת Igniting Torah Learning at the Sabbath Table BY RABBI MORDECAI GRIFFIN | A SHABBAT TORAH LEARNING PROGRAM OF SAR SHALOM SYNAGOGUE AND LAPID JUDAISM | Elul 5780 Insights & Questions Psalm of From the Parashah The Parashah “It is a positive duty to express the sanctity of the Sabbath day in words, for it is written: "Remember to sanctify the Sabbath day" (Exodus 20:8); Psalm 32 that is to say, remember it in terms of praise and sanctification. One should Of David, a contemplative song. remember it at its beginning and its conclusion by reciting the Kiddush Blessed is the one whose transgression when the Sabbath begins and the Havdalah when it ends.” is forgiven; whose sin is pardoned. Mishneh Torah, Sabbath 29:1 Blessed is the one whose guilt HASHEM does not count, and in Parashah Ki Teitzei Devarim 21:10-25:19 whose spirit, there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones became brittle You shall not hide yourself…Dt. 22:3 Rabbi Munk brings down that through my groaning all day long. For א HaShem wants Jews to be absolutely committed to the mitzvah of loving day and night Your hand was heavy their neighbor despite our innate instinct of selfishness. Very often we upon me. My strength was drained as in don’t want to stop what we are doing in order to help someone else. Rabbi the droughts of summer. Selah.
  • Through the Tanakh in a Year

    Through the Tanakh in a Year

    Jul 4 – 10, 2021 Parshat Matot-Masei Aug 15 – 21, 2021 Parshat Ki Teitzei 4 S Job 13–16 15 S Nehemiah 1–3 5 M Job 17–21 16 M Nehemiah 4–6 6 T Job 22–26 17 T Nehemiah 7 8 7 W Job 27–30 18 W Nehemiah 9 10 8 Th Job 31 32 19 Th Nehemiah 11–13 THROUGH THE TANAKH 9/10 Torah Portion: Num30:2 –36:13 20/21 Torah Portion: Deut 21:10–25:19 Haftarah: Isaiah 66:1-24 Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10 IN A Y EAR Jul 11 – 17, 2021 Parshat Devarim Aug 22 – 28, 2021 Parshat Ki Tavo 5781 / 2020 — 2021 11 S Job 33–35 22 S A Jewish Bible Reading Plan for 12 M Job 36–38 23 M 13 T Job 39–42 24 T 14 W 25 W 15 Th 26 Th Oct 11 – 17, 2020 Parshat Bereshit Nov 15 – Nov 21, 2020 Parshat Toldot 16/17 Torah Portion: Deut 1:1–3:22 27/28 Torah Portion: Deut 26:1–29:8 11 S Joshua 1–3 15 S 1 Samuel 21–23 Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27 Haftarah: Isaiah 60 SIMCHAT TORAH (See *Holidays) 16 M 1 Samuel 24–25 12 M Joshua 4–6 Jul 18 – 24, 2021 Parshat Vaetchanan Aug 29 - Sep 4 Parshat Nitzavim 17 T 1 Samuel 26–27 13 T Joshua 7–9 18 W 1 Samuel 28–31 18 S Ruth 1 2 29 S 14 W Joshua 10–11 19 Th 2 Samuel 1–2 19 M Ruth 3 4 30 M 15 Th Joshua 12–14 20 T 31 T 16/17 Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1–6:8 20/21 Torah Portion: Genesis 25:19–28:9 21 W 1 W Haftarah: I Samuel 20:18-42 Haftarah: Malachi1:1 –2:7 22 Th 2 Th Oct 18 – 24, 2020 Parshat Noach Nov 22 – 28, 2020 Parshat Vayetzei 23/24 Torah Portion: Deut 3:23–7:11 3/4 Torah Portion: Deut 29:9–30:20 Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26 Haftarah: Isaiah61:10 —63:9 18 S Joshua 15–18 22 S 2 Samuel 3–5 19 M Joshua 19–21 23 M 2 Samuel 6–8 Jul 25 – 31, 2021 Parshat Eikev Sept
  • Chaim Kramer- Parshat Ki Tavo,Chaim Kramer- Parshat Ki Teitzei,Come to Me Rosh Hashanah with Chaim Kramer,Chaim Kramer- Parshat

    Chaim Kramer- Parshat Ki Tavo,Chaim Kramer- Parshat Ki Teitzei,Come to Me Rosh Hashanah with Chaim Kramer,Chaim Kramer- Parshat

    R’ Chaim Kramer – Shiur on Likutey Moharan written by Chaim Kramer | May 1, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-WJ-sg-9OQ&feature=youtu.be Pesach With Rebbe Nachman – Interviews With Rabbi Tauber and Rabbi Kramer written by breslov.org | May 1, 2018 Featuring interviews with Rav Elchonan Tauber and Reb Chaim Kramer Four Amazing Live Pre-Pesach Events! written by breslov.org | May 1, 2018 Prepare for Pesach with Rebbe Nachman Before you drink the Four Cups, before the Four Sons ask the Four Questions, Join BreslovCampus for Four Inspiring Pesach Programs SPECIAL BACK-TO-BACK LIVE PESACH EVENTS Sunday, March 25 Monday, March 26 Rebbe Nachman: A Taste of Pesach with C.R. Zwolinski Tuesday, March 27 The Breslov Haggadah with Yossi Katz 8:30 pm to 9:15 pm An Important BRI Family Update written by Yossi Katz | May 1, 2018 Dear Friends, Two weeks ago, we shared with you the troubling news that Reb Chaim and Gita Kramer’s daughter – Cheena Rachel bat Gita Genendel was diagnosed with a serious cancer. Your outpouring of caring, love and prayer has been tremendous and mean so much to the family. Your response has proven once again that BRI is truly a large extended family; this is of course thanks to the Kramer family for everything they have done to introduce Rebbe Nachman to us and for bringing us together in study, song and prayer in Uman and throughout the world. At this time, we can share that Rachel has begun therapy, will access wisely the best healthcare Israel has to offer and draw upon HaShem’s mercy and miracles to assist.
  • Ki Teitzei Ki Tavo

    Ki Teitzei Ki Tavo

    to observe Hashem’s commandments. KI TEITZEI Moshe emphasizes the fact that we as KI TAVO a people have chosen Hashem to be our Lord and similarly Hashem has chosen us to be his most special and treasured PARSHAT KI TAVO nation. SHORT SUMMARY The fourth aliyah describes a scene which will unfold later in the history of the people In the first aliyah of Parshat Ki Tavo as they make their way into the Land. They the Torah commands the people of must gather large stones when they cross Israel living in the land of Israel to bring the Jordan river and on these stones they their first fruits to the Beit Hamikdash. will engrave the entire Torah. This mitzvah is known as bikurim. This obligation applies only to fruit and The fifth aliyah describes a dramatic produce that is actually grown in the land scene that will also unfold when the of Israel: wheat, barley, dates figs, grapes, people of Israel forge ahead and enter pomegranates, and olives. When the their new Land. There they will proclaim Jew arrives in the Beit Hamikdash with blessings and curses on the Mountain of their bounty of fruit a beautiful ritual is Grizzim and the Mountain of Eval. Six observed in which the individual recites tribes were stationed on the top of each a precise text praising Hashem for the of the mountains and the tribe of Levi blessing of the Land and its gifts. with the Holy Ark stood between the two mountains. The aliyah concludes with the The second aliyah lays out the laws abundant blessing that the Israalites will concerning the different tithes that were receive in reward for their dedication and required to be given from one’s harvest.
  • September 2019

    September 2019

    CENTER FOR PROGRESSIVE REFORM JUDAISM IN METROWEST tebeVolumeam 64 / No. 1 / September 2019 SelichotA TIME FOR FORGIVENESS A Word from By Dena Stetson Rabbi Sobel UNDERSTANDING SELICHOT PREPARING FOR WHEN I SAW THAT TBA WAS HOSTING A SELICHOT THE NEW YEAR: SERVICE AND PROGRAM ON SEPTEMBER 21ST AT GRATITUDE, REGRET, 8:00 PM, IT GOT ME WONDERING…WHAT IS SELICHOT RESTORATION AND HOW WILL THIS PROGRAM ENHANCE MY SPIRITUALITY? I THOUGHT OTHERS MIGHT HAVE In preparation for these special THE SAME QUESTIONS. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND upcoming days in our Reform REVIEWED IT WITH RABBI SOBEL. HERE’S WHAT I FOUND: Movements, I like to read Mishkan Hanefesh — Machzor What is Selichot (S’lichot)? for the High Holy Days (the Selichot are prayers said before and during the High Holidays and other gold and silver prayer books we fast days throughout the year. Literally meaning “forgiveness,” the Selichot Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel use during Rosh Hashanah and prayers may be expressed in any manner (e.g., traditional prayers, poems, music, Yom Kippur). These books are meditation) so long as they encourage individuals to reflect on the past year and filled with prayers, poems, reflections, study texts — the changes they wish to make in the upcoming one. a treasure-trove of riches to help us prepare for this special time on our calendar. Why are the Selichot services so late in the evening? We always try to give our congregants some quiet time According to www.myjewishlearning.com, “Originally, Selichot prayers were for contemplation, silent prayer and reflection with these recited early in the morning, prior to dawn.
  • Spark2, the Tribe Weekly Parsha Activity Sheet for Children's Service

    Spark2, the Tribe Weekly Parsha Activity Sheet for Children's Service

    Welcome to Spark2, the Tribe weekly parsha activity sheet for Children’s Service Leaders across the United Synagogue communities. Thank you for offering to run a service. The US is very proud of the numerous Children’s Services that are run every week across the UK and this would not happen without you. Spark2 gives you an overview of the weekly parsha, a song, activity or Dvar Torah linked to the parsha or important event that week. Every children’s service will be different, in terms of how many participants there are, their age range, its length and the varying abilities of the children. Please read through the document and find the activities that will best suit the needs of your group. It is advisable to read it before Shabbat in case there is some preparation that may be needed in advance. I hope you and the children at your service will benefit from Spark2. Please be in touch if you have any queries, feedback or if I can be of any help. With best wishes, Sharon Radley [email protected] Ki Teitzei Parsha Summary: The parsha this week is packed full of mitzvot (commandments), in fact seventy four of the Torah’s six hundred and thirteen mitzvot are contained in Ki Teitzei! These mitzvot include: The laws of a beautiful captive The inheritance rights of a firstborn How to deal with a rebellious son Burial of the dead Returning lost property Sending away a mother bird before taking her young or eggs The duty to erect a safety fence on the roof of one’s home The laws of tzitzit The prohibition of wearing a garment made of a mixture of wool and linen (shatnez.) The laws of forbidden relationships The duty to pay a worker on time The prohibition against charging interest on a loan The laws of marriage and divorce The parsha concludes with the obligation to remember what Amalek did to the Jewish people on their way out of Egypt.
  • Virginity Bias Against Women Is Not from the Torah: a Review of Chapter 3 of Katherine E

    Virginity Bias Against Women Is Not from the Torah: a Review of Chapter 3 of Katherine E

    Virginity Bias against Women is not from The Torah: A Review of Chapter 3 of Katherine E. Southwood’s “Marriage by Capture” Authored by Ruth BatYah, wife of Elisha When the Hebrew Bible is put into the hands of someone who already has a patriarchal or misogynistic worldview the result is someone who reads the words of The Torah in a way that will support their already preconceived ideas. This process happens the world over with many lay persons and biblical scholars. In their reading of the Hebrew Bible verses are used in a way to support certain preconceived ideas while other verses that would challenge those same preconceived ideas are ignored. This can happen even with women who have developed internalized misogyny from years of social programming and cultural conditioning. They accept the messages of men who have told them for centuries that the Hebrew Bible is a patriarchal book that values and devalues women on the basis of virginity. The 3rd chapter of Katherine E. Southwood’s “Marriage by Capture” 1 falls prey to this internalized misogynistic virginity bias that has been purported by biblical scholars and lay persons for a long time. It is evident that Ms. Southwood has adopted the opinions of male scholars in forming her own misogynistic view of women’s sexuality. The 3rd chapter of the book also attempts to create a benevolent sexism toward virgin women. In the book virgin women are placed in a sexual hierarchy over non-virgin women and given rewards like praise, positive affirmation, honor and public defense.
  • Devarim – Devarim/Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 V'etchanan – Devarim

    Devarim – Devarim/Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 V'etchanan – Devarim

    Devarim – Devarim/Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 The Text – Key verses in this parasha 2:1 We marched back into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds, as the Lord had spoken to me, and skirted the hill country of Seir a long time. 2:2-6 Then the Lord said to me: You have been skirting this hill country long enough; now turn north. And charge the people as follows: You will be passing through the territory of your kinsmen, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. Though they will be afraid of you, be very careful not to provoke them. For I will not give you of their land so much as a foot can tread on; I have given the hill country of Seir as a possession to Esau. What food you eat you shall obtain from them for money; even the water you drink you shall procure from them for money. The Context – The verses in plain English In Devarim, Moses speaks to the Israelites, reminding them of the events that took place and the laws they received during the course of their 40-year journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. As part of his recitation, he recalls God’s instruction to the Israelites that they compensate those people whose lands they travel through for any resources they use during the journey. For Discussion – What it means for advocates 1) This divine injunction reflects the importance of using resources judiciously, and of respecting the rights of those whose resources we use.